


Autumn Winds

by ttamarrindo



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Brian is a sweetheart, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Sick!Jae, honestly so much fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 05:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11373846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ttamarrindo/pseuds/ttamarrindo
Summary: The sneeze takes them all by surprise, cutting Sungjin off in the middle of the first chorus. The whole band turns to stare at Jae, who’s furiously rubbing at his nose with the back of his hand and simultaneously trying to glare at it, going crossed-eyed and frowning hard.(Or, Jae tries to act nice for once. It backfires on him.)





	Autumn Winds

**Author's Note:**

> This is for that one anon on tumblr who I now love to death for giving me the inspiration for this fic. I'm sorry I took so long, ily <3

It starts, as most things tend to do whenever Jae is concerned, with a lie.

“Here,” Jae says as the band is making its way out of the building. Brian turns around, tries to keep his teeth from chattering as he squints at the older boy through the darkness of the parking lot. Jae’s frowning, lips pursed in concern he would deny right away if Brian ever voiced it aloud as he stares at Brian, who’s shivering in his thin white shirt, hands tucked into his sides to keep his fingers from freezing over. “Take my jacket.”

“Thanks hyung, but I’m fine,” Brian answers. Jae pays him no mind though, already shrugging off his well-worn hoodie. “Seriously, it’s fine,” Brian insists when he catches sight of the plain flannel Jae’s wearing underneath, shaking his head when Jae tries to hand it to him.

“C’mon, you're freezing,” he says just as another gust of cold wind wipes around them and ruffles Brian’s hair, leaving him trembling all over again. Still, Brian refuses. August is taking its last dying breaths and they all come rushing by cold and biting, sneaking under clothes and turning noses red, but it’s Brian who had been stupid enough not to listen to Sungjin when he said to dress warm for today. Jae doesn't have to suffer for it.

Brian had figured he would be fine. After all, the performance was just a quick in-and-out kinda thing at a plaza near Hongdae and Brian had been sure they would all be home long before night fell. What he hadn’t counted for though, was the sun setting so soon, taking the day’s warmth with it and leaving him shivering in his thin clothes as the fans called for an encore and forced them to stay for longer than scheduled.

Jae rolls his eyes. “Wear it, dumbass. I don’t mind,” he says, throws the hoodie at Brian’s face in a show of carelessness that falls short with the way he smiles at him. Brian can see the quirk of it under the dim glow of the lamp lights, exasperated but still so incredibly fond. “I’m still hot from the show. Honestly,” he adds, when he sees Brian beginning to grin. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Brian wants to protest, he really does, because Jae already looks like he’s fighting off shivers, but before he can so much as open his mouth the older boy turns on his heels and starts walking ahead to help pack their instruments inside the company van.

So Brian sighs and slips the hoodie on, burrowing further into its warmth as he clambers up into the car and pushes a slumbering Dowoon into the backseat so he can make space for himself. 

Later, when he’s being lulled to sleep by the soft rocking of the van as it speeds by Seoul’s busy streets, he presses his cold nose against Jae’s neck and whispers a small _thank you_ into his skin, falls asleep to the comforting feel of Jae stroking his hair away from his face as he mumbles a breathy _no need to thank me, idiot_ into the tired silence of the car.

*

It’s in the middle of practice the next day when Brian first realizes the mess he just got them into when he took Jae’s jacket that night.

The sneeze takes them all by surprise, cutting Sungjin off in the middle of the first chorus. The whole band turns to stare at Jae, who’s furiously rubbing at his nose with the back of his hand and simultaneously trying to glare at it, going crossed-eyed and frowning hard. 

“Are you okay, hyung?” Wonpil asks from where he’s leaning against the keyboard. His question seems sincere enough, but he’s grinning a bit too big for it be anything but amused. Wonpil loves seeing Jae suffer, Brian knows, because Jae loves making _him_ suffer, so Wonpil will take pleasure in any kind of revenge, petty as it might by.

“I’m fine,” Jae snaps, but the way he can't help but sniffle cuts down the biting tone of his voice. He sneezes again, the sound loud enough to echo. Wonpil chortles.

“Oh god, please don’t be sick,” Sungjin says. He’s already standing by Jae’s side, fanning all over him and patting his forehead to check his temperature. “We have a performance in two days - _quit that_ , let me check,” Sungjin chides when Jae tries to swat his hands away.

“Maybe we should call the manager,” Dowoon offers from the back of the room where he’s sitting by the drums, looking half concerned, half confused as the whole scene plays out.

“Right, good idea-”

“No managers,” Jae snaps, huffing at Sungjin and grabbing his guitar from its stand. “We have a performance coming up, you said so yourself. We should practice, not make a fuss out of nothing.”

“A break won’t hurt,” insists Sungjin but Brian can see in the determined purse of Jae’s lips that he won’t be budged. Apparently, Sungjin can too, because he sighs and relents. “Fine, but please take something when we get back. Please.”

Jae nods once in agreement, scowls for a bit, and then proceeds to sneeze his way all through the rest of their practice. Brian doesn’t comment, not even when Sungjin throws him a look that plainly states _you better handle this mess_. Brian knows Jae, knows how he acts when he gets like this. He has dealt with it enough times over the year they’ve been together to know what to do. It’s better to let him come asking for help than forcing it on him, else you’re just going to send him running away.

That’s why, when Jae comes to him later that day and tugs on his sleeve like the big baby he really is, all Brian does is grin at him and hand him the tea he had prepared beforehand along with the flu pills he asked the manager for after practice. 

Jae mumbles something, a _thank you_ maybe, maybe a stubborn _I’m not sick, honest_. Brian doesn’t know, too busy shuffling around on the couch to make space for the taller boy to catch it. Jae cuddles up to him, hunching down to make himself fit under Brian’s chin as Brian turns to volume of the tv down a notch so it won't cause Jae any headaches.

He won’t admit it, not even if pressed, but Brian likes Jae like this, all pliant and loose-limb. It’s not like Jae doesn’t like skinship, because he _does_ , a bit too much honestly, but this kind of touch it’s different, more telling maybe. Because this here, this is Jae showing his vulnerable side, the one he usually keeps locked away behind granite walls that loom high over them both. This is Jae knocking those walls down himself, seeking comfort in Brian, who is, frankly, much too happy to give it to him.

“ ‘m not sick,” Jae mumbles, shivers in the same breath as he burrows closer to Brian. 

“Course you’re not,” Brian says, grins just that little bit bigger when Jae musters up enough energy to crack one eye open and glare at him. “Go to sleep.”

“Can’t,” he says, but he’s yawning, eyes fluttering shut under the heavy drag of his slight fever. “Gotta go to the last wardrobe check in an hour.”

“I’ll wake you,” Brian answers, sprawls his legs outwards so Jae can fit better against his chest. “Go to sleep.”

Jae obliges, too tired to put up much of a fight. Brian stares absentmindedly at the historical drama playing on the tv for a bit after, feeling Jae’s breathing deepen and slow. He doesn’t realize he fell asleep until Sungjin comes screaming at them about being late and _Younghyun what do you think you’re doing? You’re gonna catch a fever too, cuddling him like that._

Then it’s a flurry of clothing pins and slightly panicked cordi-noonas making last minute changes to their outfits. Jae grumbles his way through the blur of it all, snorting at him as he passes him by and says, “good wake-up call that you are.” Brian just grins sheepishly, shrugging in a _what can you do_ manner. Because really, can he be blamed for not wanting to wake up with Jae warm and heavy against his chest?

The managers seem to think so, because they grouch about punctuality and responsibilities and whatnot. Brian listen to them with half an ear, too busy staring at the way Jae seems to pale and flinch under any loud noise that come his way, getting weaker and weaker as the managers drone on and on. 

Brian frowns. Maybe he should do something about that.

*

In the end, Brian doesn’t get to do anything. Only damage control. 

As the performance drags nearer and nearer, Jae gets sicker and sicker too. The older boy pushes through it though, because this is a big show they were invited to, the half-year presentation reserved for the big hits of the moment, something they hadn’t realized they were until the invitation came knocking. 

Brian can tell it’s getting to him, the cold or the flu or whatever other bug Jae caught when he decided to act nice and save Brian a few moments of cold. The headaches get worse, as does the fever, which burns high enough to be of worry. Still, Jae claims he’s okay. And he is, all things considered. The performance comes and goes and Jae looks fine for the most part of it, smiling and winking and just overall being his blundering charming self. But then, just as they’re making their way out of the stage, Jae stumbles, drags in a ragged breath, and collapses. 

The band scrambles. Brian is there before he even makes the conscious decision to move, hauling Jae up before he can fall and bringing him in close. Dowoon and Wonpil come to stand at his side, flanking Brian and Jae both. They press close, making a wall that lets nothing and no one in. Sungjin is already off, mouth running a mile a minute as he calls for their van and a doctor in the same breath, shouting for the staff to make way for them.

Brian doesn’t remember what happens next, too lost in his own worry to remember the ride to their dorm. What he does remember is someone taking Jae away from him, pulling the boy out of his arms and rushing him away to a hospital, leaving him empty and scrambling for something to hold onto.

Brian doesn’t sleep that night. He tosses and turns and worries until he hears their door click open and the quiet, apologetic rise and fall of Jae’s voice drift down the hallway. He stumbles, reaches for Jae even before the manager that brought him home is completely out of sight and holds him close to makes sure he’s _there_.

“Hey,” Jae rasps, voice scratchy and tired but present and that, really, is all the Brian needs to be able to breath again. “Hey. Hey. I’m here.”

“You asshole,” Brian grunts, hides his face in the crook of Jae’s neck and inhales, clutching at the older tighter when he smells chemicals and the overbearing cleanness of the hospital. “You scared me.”

“C’mon,” Jae laughs, steers them towards Brian’s bedroom, knocking ankles and elbows against the hallway in an effort to walk but still keep each other in arms reach. “I don’t get sick, you know that. This was just a mistake on the doctor's part. _Exhaustion_. Really, as if such a thing could be enough to knock me down.”

Brian snorts, three parts relived, one part reluctantly amused. “You’re impossible,” he breathes, pushes Jae down on the bed and throws a few couple blankets over him.

Jae splutters, swats the many blankets aways as he pulls Brian down to lay beside him. “Are you only realizing this now?”

“Just-” Brian sighs, flattens down the small lick of hair that stands up from Jae’s head and lets his hand fall down to rest on the curve of his neck. “Don’t go acting all gentleman-y on me again anytime soon okay?”

“What do you mean _act_?” Jae huffs. “I don’t act like a gentleman, I _am_ a gentleman. Honestly, here I am, giving it my all and you just dismiss everything as a-”

“Shut up,” Brian grumbles, hikes the blankets up higher so that they’re almost up to their mouths. “Shut up, please.”

“Don’t smother me with the blankets,” Jae says, grin still bright even stretched across the pale hue of his face. “I just got out of the damn hospital and you’re already trying to send me to that hellhole again, choking me like this-”

“Shut up,” Brian says again, this time follows it up with a short press of his lips against Jae’s own. Jae blinks at him, eyes wide and hazed over by pain meds. Maybe by something else too.

“Ok, I’ll shut up,” he says, grins one last time before he makes a show of closing his eyes and starts snoring.

Brian chuckles, turns his back so that he’ll get some actual sleep and not stare at the slope of Jae’s nose and the way the soft light of their alarm clock breaks across his face instead.

“Hey,” he hears Jae murmur a few minutes later, soft and steady, keeping time with the beat of his heart. “I’m here, okay? Don’t worry. I won’t go.”

Brian doesn’t respond, lets the silence grow and settle around them. Still, he thinks the way his hand finds Jae’s under the blankets and the soft pressure of his fingers slotting in between his are answer enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Do let me know what you thought! Feedback gives me life.
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://jahehyung.tumblr.com/) and send me prompts!


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